Voices of the Future
by DD12 Data Archive
Summary: Griff Darhen is a young, average, and everyday teenager who happens to meet a teal-haired girl. While she seems as normal as he is, she will be the catalyst that changes his life forever. Forced to dive in after her mysterious disappearance, Griff finds himself looking for clues to where she might be, and finds out the world is a lot different than what he grew up believing.
1. Episode 1: Without A Trace

"Today's been boring," the teal-haired girl said to me. "Not that it's a bad thing, I just wish there was more to do.

"I wish I could figure out what else to do," I told her. "Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault."

"I dunno, I guess it's because I feel like I should do something about it."

"Well, we could get off of the bench," the girl suggested, giggling a little bit. "There's a lot of shops around here, we might find something."

"Are you getting hungry, too?"

She nodded, pointing to the food court. "I haven't even eaten breakfast, I woke up late and had to get out here to meet you here."

"Well, Miku, let's go, then," I said, getting up off the bench. Miku followed suit.

This was Hatsune Miku. A friend of mine I met around the beginning of high school. At first glance, she's a girl with dyed teal hair with shoulder-length pigtails, sporting a tee shirt, jeans, and some hair ribbons. She's adventurous, fun-loving, and charismatic. I've only known her for a few months, but we've gotten to know each other pretty well.

We tried to hang out when both of us had the chance. During this past summer, however, we really couldn't find time because I was in school, and she went to get a job. Since we're both done with our summer activities, we decided we'd spend the last few days of summer together.

"So, any idea what you wanna eat?" I ask her, looking at the available places to eat at.

"No idea," she told me, contemplating the options in front of her. "Usually I'm really good at making decisions about food, too."

I laughed. "You're as good at decision making as I am at math."

She looked at me, rolling her eyes. "Har har, Griff, har har."

After a little bit of browsing from the various food places, Miku decided to get something from the Chinese food vendor. She told me she'd never had it before.

"You've never had Bamboo Railroad?"  
"I've never even heard of it, actually. Is it good?

"Yeah, I like it. Don't really eat it too much, though."

Then she came across something in the drink section.

"Ooh, vegetable juice," she exclaimed, "and the really good kind, too!"

"Vegetable juice?" I inquired. "You actually drink that?"

"Have you ever had it before?"

"Uh, no? Why would I?"

She decided then and there to buy two bottles of vegetable juice with her meal, and gave me one.

"Give it a try, really, I'm sure you'll like it!" she said, sliding the bottle my way.

I looked at it, hesitant to even consider drinking this, and fiddled with the bottle. Then I looked back to Miku, who was giggling.

"Oh, come on, nothing bad is gonna happen if you drink it!"

"Alright, I'll take your word for it."

I opened the cap to the bottle, and sipped the juice inside it.

I looked back to her, "You know, this isn't that bad."

"See?" she said, "and nothing bad happene-"

Right in the middle of our conversation, something did happen. Something _very_ big. A loud boom came from the front of the mall, so loud that I fell out of my seat. Sounds of gunfire and glass breaking followed afterwards. I could hear loud screams from everyone around me.

A loud voice barked in the distance, "I need everyone on the ground, now! If I see anyone move, I'm going to make sure you'll never walk again!"

Miku, who was also on the ground with me, gave me a signal to look behind me. There was a door nearby where we were sitting. It was the maintenance exit. We needed to act fast before they found us, except I was too scared to move a muscle from where I was. Glass shattering, people screaming, and gunfire surrounded my ears, leaving me practically frozen. That was until Miku grabbed me, put me at her shoulders, and dragged me to the door. The strange thing is, for her size, Miku was able to pull me with ease.

I was still in a state of shock when she got us both through the door. I still couldn't move, my heart was racing, and I was babbling a little bit.

"Shh," Miku said, "calm down, we're safe in here."

"I didn't - what in the hell - why is this even happening...?"

Miku sat me down at a wall. "Look, we're okay right now. I don't know what's going on, but I need you to be brave with me here. We need to get out of here, and I can tell you these robbers aren't exactly going to be happy to see us if they find us in here. And they _will_ find us in here in here if we stay too long."

"How do you know they're robbers?"

"It doesn't matter if I know or not, what matters is both of us getting out of this place right now."

After finally getting my head together, I got back up on my feet.

"Feeling able to move, Griff? Good, we need to get out of here."

I got up from where I was sitting. I told her to lead on from here, because I felt no confidence at all to move forward here. I wanted to be brave, but this was scary as all hell for me. Chaos ran rampant, and my mind was focused on only getting out of here alive. Miku, on the other hand, didn't seem nervous about it at all, in fact, she seemed confident that we'd get out of here. Almost like she'd done something like this before.

Whatever the reason, she knew what she was doing, and that's all that mattered to me at the very moment.

I checked my phone to see if I could get a text out to my uncle and tell him what was going on. I couldn't get a signal. I showed her my phone.

"Makes sense," Miku said, "they're probably blocking it."

We both kept moving slowly through the tunnels, trying to find an exit. We found ourselves had wandered into a part of the mall they were remodeling. Pylons, scaffolding, and construction equipment were scattered around.

"Shh, I think I hear someone. It's a few of those robbers, I'm sure of it."

She had me crouch down next to her behind a hollowed-out wall, and I could hear two people conversing.

"A'ight, the hell did they get to? I saw them duck in here on the security footage."

"I dunno, they gotta be close by, keep lookin' around."

They kept talking for a little while, searching for us, but didn't look to the area we were actually hiding behind. Lucky us.

Eventually, after they dispersed and went down separate hallways to look for us, Miku looked at me, trying to think of a solution to get out. She scanned the area, looking for signs of an escape. Then her face lit up.

"There," she said, "the map here leads to the parking garage, we can use that route to get out of here. There's still cars here, so we can take cover behind them."

I looked at her; she could definitely see how nervous I was.

"It's okay, Griff, I know you're scared, but please, just be brave with me, just a little bit longer."

"O-Okay..." I said, my voice cracking.

"Hey, don't worry about it. We've gotten this far, haven't we?"

She was right. And we needed to go, now.

She and I got up from where we were, and headed down the hallway to the parking garage. After this, we'd be home free.

At least, until we reached the door.

As I attempted to open the door, two masked figures kicked it open, forcing me to the floor.

"There they are! Alright, we got 'em!"

"Get up off the ground, you friggin' pansy." One of the masked figures pulled me up from the ground, keeping my hands up.

"Okay, check him, make sure he ain't gonna try and pull a gun out or somethin'. He might be one of those 'brave kids' that tries to be the hero."

"Yeah, sure," the one searching me said. "He's empty. Still, he had money in his wallet. I'll take that."

I'd have fought back if I wasn't so scared for my life at that very moment.

"Alright, then, hands behind your head, pally," the criminal who just took my wallet said. "Come on, we need you bacl on the ground, now."

These guys seemed really calm for criminals. They were professionals, and this was nothing to them. That, or maybe they just saw I was a kid and wouldn't put up too much of a fight. They grabbed my hands, put them behind my back, and tied me down.

"Now don't you worry your pretty little head, kid, this'll be over before you know it."

At that moment, I felt a sharp sting go into my neck. A syringe, it seemed, at least, I think it was. My body went numb, and the last thing I heard was, "Well, let's get 'em outta here. We're done here." I fell unconscious after that.

I woke up hours later, my vision was blurry and my head ached. Things were spinning around me and I had no idea where I was. Suddenly I heard a voice.

"He's up," one of the voices said, "let them know we've got someone awake over here."

I stirred, trying to recount what had happened and how I had gotten here. I looked around as my vision began to clear and I realized I was inside of an ambulance. My heart started racing remembering what happened beforehand.

"Whoa, kid, calm down, you're okay." a paramedic grabbed me, "Calm down, take a deep breath, and relax. You're in safe hands." I did as he said, and sat up.

A little while later, after I finally calmed down and got my head together, I told the paramedics that I was okay. They said they couldn't release me until I had a parental guardian come to pick me up.

I reached for my cell phone, and found out it was taken from me. Typical.

I told them David's number and they handed me the phone.

After a couple of rings, I heard someone pick up.

"Griff, that you?" He asked immediately.

"Yeah, it's me, I was-"  
"Oh, thank God you're alright. I was pretty worried something happened to you."

"Huh, you know about this?" I inquired.

"Yeah, it was all over the news. I thought you were hurt in it. Came as fast as I could. Where are you anyways?"

"I'm in an ambulance, right outside the mall entrance. Can you get over here? I kinda wanna go home..."

"Definitely, I'll head over."

David came to the ambulance, and I told him the whole story.

"Christ," he said, "what a mess..."  
"Yeah..." I paused, "and I still don't know why this happened..."

"And what about Miku?" David questioned, "Is she okay?"  
I hadn't thought about her until he brought her up.

"I have no idea, think we should ask?" I said, "Think she might even be awake?"  
"She's probably fine, come on," David grabbed my shoulder, "besides, she's probably looking for you, too."

After such a hectic day, and with everything left in such a mess, I wanted to go home and forget it ever happened. However, I wanted to find Miku and tell her I was thankful for her being able to keep hear head when I couldn't. She wasn't scared, she didn't panic, and I did. She showed a side of her I had never seen before. Maybe that was because we had never run into trouble like this. Maybe Miku was a superhero and I didn't know.

All that mattered right now was seeing Miku and telling her I was okay. David and I approached an officer and asked if he could tell us where she was.

"Gimme a second," the officer said, grabbing his radio, "This is 2-3 here, anyone have a Hatsune Miku near them?"

We waited for a response.

"Negative, sir, no names showing up from anyone. We'll keep you posted, over."

I didn't wanna believe what I had heard.

"She can't be taken- she couldn't be gone. I know she couldn't be-"

"Griff, Griff, calm down, please." David grabbed me, "they said they'll still look, so it's not a total loss."  
David told the officer his phone number, and said if she was found, they should call us A.S.A.P.

I was in shock, still, and had only hoped for the best. Maybe she ran away from them. Maybe she fought back against them, and ran away!

I had to convince myself that, somewhere, somehow, Miku was okay, and that she'd be back soon. Whether or not she's okay, I wanted to believe she was fine...

David walked me to his car, and I saw an armored van drive by.

"Duodecim." I said.

"Huh?" David was confused.  
"I've never heard of them before," I responded, "do you know who they are?"

"Oh, they're a security company," he explained, "most notable for bringing robotic S.W.A.T. Units to the table as a means to cut down on police mortality rates. Deadly and effective, they're able to combat threats with efficiency and accuracy. At least... that's what the ads tell you."

"You think they're the ones who saved me?"  
"Probably, yeah, so chances are they saved Miku, too."

I pondered on that thought.

She was probably safe and sound. I didn't have the answers as to where she was, and driving home, I knew I wouldn't have an answer until someone sent us a call letting us know what happened. So, rather than continuously say "maybe this" or "maybe that", I'd find out soon enough what really happened.

After getting home from such a messy day today, I went to my room and laid down. I didn't change clothes, I just wanted to sleep.

I closed my eyes, and recounted on the strange happenings of today. I knew things were going to be alright. So, I fell asleep, and my worries drifted away for the time being. The coming months would bring something with it. All I can say right now is they weren't going to be ordinary at all.


	2. Episode 2: Unexpected Leads

It's been about a week since the incident had occurred. I've been staying at home in my room all week. Barely ever leaving except for when I needed to go get the mail while David was out, and that was pretty much it. I would come out to get something to eat, go back to my room and eat in there.

I've been like this not because of the incident itself. I was a lot more anxious the day after everything had happened. Pacing around the house, trying to find a distraction. I would bounce a tennis ball in my room, or I'd read an old magazine, or I'd try to nap. Nothing worked and I still felt anxious about it.

I was getting impatient, and I just wanted to get an answer. I wanted to know if Miku was missing, or she was okay and when I'd get to hang out with her again. I wanted to make sure she wasn't harmed, too, and that we would look back on this as a very strange happening. There was a long list of things on my mind that I felt like talking to her about.

That wasn't the case here. The day I got the call, the police had wanted to ask some further questions about the incident. It was nothing more than just a check on to see if I remembered anything else from what happened. I told them nothing had changed from my initial story.

"Okay, we just had something attached to your report, and wanted to make sure," he continued, "was there anything else you wanted to let us know?"

I asked about Miku, "Is she okay?"

"We can't give that information out on a minor. You have her number, right?"

"I don't, my phone was stolen yesterday, and I can't remember her number, either. Do you happen to have her number?"

"Uh, sir," his tone changed, "we can't give out that information, especially on a minor. I think if your girlfriend wanted you to know she was fine, she'd call you herself."  
I stumbled to follow up, "But, s-she told me-."  
"Regardless of what she told you, she may not want to actually talk to you. Ever hear of 'letting you down easy'?

"But- I, well, uh-." I couldn't finish my sentence. I paused after stumbling so much.

"If nothing else, I apologize," he broke the silence, "but, we have some other business to take care of. Thanks for your time."

"I- Thanks-" He hung up before I could finish. This whole thing left me feeling horrible. My stomach had churned, and my heart was racing faster now.  
Did Miku actually not want to talk to me anymore? What happened? I wish I had an answer to that question, but I didn't. I went back to my room and pretended this whole thing was a nightmare. I wanted to wake up from it. I wanted to be away from all of this. It didn't make any sense.

That was a week ago, though. A lot happens in a week, and I've been able to think it over. I started questioning a lot of what I was told. Did Miku really say that or was the officer not telling me something? Was she really trying to stay away from me? Why? It started to seem suspicious the more I had thought about it. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I had the feeling Miku didn't really say those things. Looking back on it, it felt like the officer was trying to hide something.

There wasn't anything I could do, though. I had no answers, and nowhere to confirm if my suspicions were even right in the first place.

It's hard to figure out if something is right or wrong, and it's harder to figure out when someone is lying to you, but I couldn't shake the feeling that's what was going on here.

I couldn't really dwell on this all day today. Mostly because school started today, and I had to put all of my energy into getting used to being in school again. I didn't want to go, but I know as well as anyone that there's laws to follow, and this is one of them.

I came downstairs to get breakfast, and David was sitting there reading the paper.

"Nice to see you up earlier," he said, "I'd figure you'd want something to eat before school today."

I sat down, and looked at the eggs and toast he prepared.

"Thanks, I kinda forgot school started today."

"Kinda? I'd have figured you were in a coma with how much you were sleeping." He chuckled, but stopped shortly after. He knew I was still messed up over this whole thing. Can't blame him for trying to put a light on this situation.

"I know how you feel, Griff," he stood up from his chair and pulled something from his shirt pocket. "I think you might benefit from this." He placed a pamphlet for group therapy happening at the local hospital. "A friend of mine said his son went there, and that he felt a lot better just being able to talk it out with someone other than his parents. Might help you the same way."

"I'll think about it," I said, "I'm not too sure about that right now."

"Well, by the time you decide, the day is going to be over."

I finished my breakfast, brushed my teeth, and got my shoes on. I think I was ready to finally tackle the day. I felt like, maybe, I was finally going to be able to get my mind off this whole debacle, at least for just a little bit.

I grabbed the pamphlet before school. Maybe it would be a good idea to check this out.

 _Well,_ I thought to myself, _better get today over with._

I'll be honest, I wasn't doing so well. School may have helped me get my mind off things, but I still felt really nervous. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. Sleep let me escape from this sort of stuff, but I guess that's not how you solve problems in the real world, huh?

The lectures felt like they dragged on forever, too. It wasn't even really a lecture, either. Just explaining how things would go about this year, and all the normal things you would expect out of a high school classroom. I didn't really pay much attention. I just sort of drifted through the day.

I started writing random things in my notebook so I could get stuff out of my head and on paper. Stuff about Miku, about the officers, about the mall fiasco, some of it about the people that rescued me.

 _Robotic S.W.A.T. units,_ I remember David explaining to me. _Designed to cut down on police mortality rates._ I thought on that for a second. _A robot saved me, so does that mean a robot saved Miku too?_

I pondered on that.

So many differing theories came up.

"Miku was rescued," I whispered to myself, "but what if they're just trying to cover something? Was she kidnapped?"

"But if Miku was kidnapped, then why wasn't I, too? Wouldn't they have made a statement about that sort of thing?" I kept scribbling notes in my notebook when I _should have_ been paying attention in class. For whatever reason, though, I felt like this was more important than class introductions.

This was the rest of the day for me, too. Writing in my notebook about each possible outcome. What happened to Miku, what happened to me, and how all of this didn't make sense. Was Miku of some serious importance? Was she in on this robbery the whole time?

I shuddered on that thought. There's no way she'd have worked with some really heinous people. She wasn't like that, so there's no way that made any sense. This was putting me into a worse frenzy than when I was at home and sleeping all day.

 _Maybe this is good_ , I thought to myself, _you might be on to something after all._

The school day ended and I was still reading into my notes the whole day. It was insane how much time and effort I had put into this, but I wanted to desperately know what really happened to her.

Putting my notebook away, I felt another paper in my backpack. It was the pamphlet David gave me earlier today.

It was held at a local hospital near my home called "Community Group Therapy", and I remembered David had suggested going today. I decided to take up that suggestion. When his car pulled up at the designated pick-up zone, I gave him back the pamphlet and asked him.

"Hey, you mind driving me there?"

He smiled. "Of course."

As we drove up to the hospital, David gave me some advice.

"Look, you don't have to tell them every single detail, just tell them what's on your mind, and go from there."

I nodded in agreement, "Got it, I'll be sure not to mess up."

He reassured me, "there's no messing up here, it's just talking about your problems. I honestly think it'll help you get your feelings out to someone other than me."

I looked at him, "You think so?"

"I know so."

As we got out, he offered to walk me there. I agreed, seeing as how he drove me this far, I couldn't say no to him.

I was anxious and just wanted to get this over with, but I was also kind of hoping this would help me out a lot. I wanted to feel better, and after all the note-writing I did today, I couldn't tell if it was a breakthrough, or a break _down._ Maybe a little of both.

David and I walked through the hospital entrance. A young receptionist sat there, seeming like she was trying to pass the time.

"Hello," she greeted us, "how can I help you two today?"

"Hi," David said, rummaging through his pocket, "we were looking for this room. I set up an appointment for it earlier in the week, can I find who's directing it?"

Earlier in the week? Sounds like David all right.

"Ah, yes," she said after examining it, "it's room 206, Doctor Kellerman's up there now, I think."

David smiled, thanked her, and we went on our way.

The hospital was mostly a white interior with color coded walls directing you to different wards. Red, green, blue, and yellow, all of which would send you somewhere else if you followed them. As I looked at the walls, I noticed something.

 ** _Protected by Duodecim Security._**

That name again. I had never noticed them before the incident, but there they were again. It was strange; it felt like I was being followed, but that was crazy to think. It was crazy to think I was being followed at all, even. Especially by the people who had saved me.

I stirred in my head about this whole thing, following behind David up the stairs until we reached the room. I was nervous, but, I thought about how David told me this would help me. It was too late to back out, anyhow.

There was a man in a blue shirt and brown khakis standing by the door, he had a nametag that read "K. Kellerman". He shook David's hand, and introduced us.

"I'm David. I told you about Griff already, yes?"

"Ah, so, this is Griff? Nice to meet you." He said, holding his hand out to me.

"Nice to meet you, too, doctor," I said, "so, who else is gonna be here today?"

"Just a few other kids. I think about three today?" He pondered on it, "No matter, we can get you introduced to everyone else once they get here."

He grabbed his keys, unlocked the door, and invited me inside. "David, I'll take him from here, if you wouldn't mind."

David nodded, and walked away. I wondered what he was going to do for the hour I was gone, but knowing him, he'd know how to survive without me.

Doctor Kellerman was very friendly. He offered me some water while we waited and made small-talk.

"So, having a good day today?" He asked, handing me the cup.

"Well, not really," I said, mostly staring at my cup of water, "I was having a weird day today. Couldn't focus in class, couldn't get my mind on stuff."

He reassured me, "Well, it's good you decided to come today. We're all here to help each other."

Hearing that, I felt pretty good. I had probably been worrying too much. I needed to calm down and get my feelings out. I just hoped I wouldn't freak out.

"Just tell everyone what you feel comfortable with," he told me, almost as if he knew what I was feeling. "keep that in mind, and everything will be fine- Oh, hey Meiko!"

A bored-looking girl with brown hair, and a red sweater walked in. "Hey, doc, how's today been going?"

"Fine, we have some newcomers today," he said, and looked at me. "This is Meiko. She's someone we've had for a good couple of months now, and has been very helpful to everyone."

She looked at me, and said hello, followed by "And you are?"

I looked up at her, and held out my hand, "Oh, uh, I'm Griff. Griff Darhen. You?"

"Meiko," she shook my hand, "glad to meet you."

She seemed friendly, I had hoped we'd get along.

There were two more people. A guy named Roger, and a girl named Claudia. Really quiet people, and apparently it was their first day here, too. So, I guess I wasn't the only one who needed to worry about first day anxiety.

Kellerman had put all the chairs in a circle, Roger, Claudia and I sat down, and Meiko, who had gotten herself some water, sat down as well.

"So, Griff, since you got here first, why don't you explain what's been going on?" Kellerman asked me, and I started to recount what happened a week.

"Well," I began, "last week there was that incident at Palmview Mall. You know, where the robbery happened?"

Everyone looked at me in shock, except Kellerman, who had an attentive look on his face.

"Oh, you were in that?" Roger asked, "I'm really sorry, dude."

I shrugged, "It's okay, but, it isn't affecting me quite as much as some other people. There's been a lot on my mind, especially with a friend of mine who hadn't contacted me. She just seems to have up and left, and doesn't really wanna talk to me."

"Doesn't really want to talk to you? What makes you think that?" Kellerman asked.

I explained, "When I had made a follow-up call to the police, they seem to have just brushed me aside as if I wasn't worth their time. They wouldn't give me any information on her. All they would tell me is that she's safe, and that they couldn't give me her number because they weren't allowed to do that, under the knowledge she was a minor or something stupid like that. I didn't argue with it because they're in law enforcement and probably know more than I do. Still, it makes me worry about Miku."

After I finished, I heard a _splash._

"Oh, I'm sorry! Let me clean that up." Meiko had dropped her cup, and became frantic, panicky even.

"Meiko, it's fine," Kellerman said, "don't freak out."

"No, no, I'm fine. Just, lost my grip is all. I'm not freaked out." She reassured Kellerman quite a bit.

"Something the matter, Meiko?" I asked, concerned if I might have said something stupid, or somehow upset her.

"No, you're fine. I just messed up." She wiped up the wet floor, "please, continue."

As the hour finished up, and the session drew to its end, I couldn't help but think I said something wrong, so I thought I should apologize to Meiko. As we all got up and put the chairs away, I saw David approach Kellerman, so I was going to be here for a bit. Kellerman promised to keep things confidential, but said he'd want to let David know some _other_ things. Whatever that meant.

I walked up to Meiko, who was getting a drink at the water fountain, funny enough.

"Hey, Meiko, I wanted to…" I was cut off.  
"I need to ask you something." Her tone had changed completely from the nice girl I met earlier. She was stern and serious.

"What?" I was confused, "what do you need to ask me?"

"That girl, Miku," Her gaze was intimidating and dead-set on finding out something, "what was her last name?"

"Uh, Hatsune," I answered, "why?"

She looked down at the fountain, and then back up at me, "Because I know who she is, and I know what happened to her."

Hearing that, my heart started beating rapidly, and I felt like I was having a repeat to events from earlier in the day.

"What, how do yo-." I was cut off again.

"Look, we can talk about this later. Go home, sleep this off, and come find me here tomorrow, got it?"

I nodded my head in compliance.

"I know it sounds crazy, but you need to believe me. Okay?" She sounded serious, and I believed her. This could have been a prank, or a joke, or even a trap, but, for some reason, I felt like I could believe her.

"One last thing I have to ask you," she said, looking behind me. I looked behind myself, too, before she made me look back at her. I had caught a glimpse, and David was still focused on talking to Kellerman.

"Can you keep a secret," she asked, "don't tell anyone about this. Do you understand?"

I nodded again.

"Good. Now do as I said, and things will be fine. I can explain more tomorrow."

As she walked away from the fountrain, David came up to me, and put his hand on my shoulder. I jumped.

"Whoa, you okay?"

"I'm fine," I looked up at him, "I'm just tired, and didn't see you coming."

I looked back over at Meiko before she left down the stairs. Could she possibly have had some information about Miku, or was it a ruse? Could I trust this girl, or was she trusting me? I couldn't brush it off, it seemed so believable for an act.

"So," David started as we were leaving the hospital, "make any friends?"

"One," I said, "and I think she might really want to help me out."

"That's good. I'm hoping this is really beneficial to you," David smiled.

I smiled back, "Yeah, I hope so too."

As we drove home, David told me what dinner plans were going to be, and I told him about what happened at school and at therapy. Minus the part about Meiko's questioning about Miku. It was probably best to leave that out.

That night, while I was getting ready for bed, I looked in the mirror and thought about it. _Can you keep a secret_ , her question echoed in my head, _don't tell anyone about this._

I thought about it. I'm obligated to that now. Maybe things would change for the better, and I'd find out exactly what I was looking for. She told me to go home and sleep on all this. After today, I think I'd take up that advice.


	3. Episode 3: Following a Lead

**Following a Lead**

I had to wonder why I trusted a girl like Meiko. She could very clearly be trying to be luring me into danger, but I desperately wanted to know what she knew. She was the only possible lead I had in finding out what happened to Miku. If she knew who she was, she might be able to tell me what exactly had been going on.

The problem was that I wouldn't get any answers if I remained thinking of the "what-ifs" of this situation, and instead tried to get to the bottom of this. I spent most of today in class trying to convince myself of that, still worrying on whether something bad would happen or not. Something told me, though, that I could trust it. It was a gut feeling, and I wanted to be sure it was right.

Meiko wanted to meet back up at the hospital immediately. She rushed into this pretty quickly on a gut feeling herself, now that I thought about it. Was what I said that important to her? It seemed so strange to me. Nothing made sense. In any case, I needed an excuse to go to the hospital after school. David wouldn't buy it with group therapy because it was Monday's only.

When I got around to talking about it with him, I had to make something up.

"So," I started with, anxiously trying to explain it to him, "there was someone I met at group therapy yesterday. She said she wanted to hang out."  
"Oh," he was intrigued, "and did she tell you why she wanted to hang out?"

I paused for a second, and continued, "Yeah, it was about Miku."

Inside my head, I could hear myself screaming, _Griff, why did you tell him what she told you not to tell_ _ **anyone**_ _?_

David laughed, "I kinda figured that's what it was for. Where are you gonna meet?"

"Oh, we're gonna meet after school." I lied. We were actually going to meet at the hospital. but if it meant that Meiko wouldn't find out about what I had already told him, maybe it was for the best. I hated doing it, but I felt like it was necessary.

"Well, okay," he nodded, "just let me know if you go somewhere and what time you'll expect to be home, okay?"

I was about to remind him that I didn't exactly have a way to contact him since last week, but he already figured it out.

"Oh, before I forget," David went to the kitchen, "Griff, this came in the mail."

David handed me a package; inside of it was a new cell phone. Same model as my old one. A touchscreen phone that did what it needed to do, and then some. It came in handy, and maybe would have been helpful if it didn't get its signal blocked during raids when criminals were attacking, but the past was in the past; couldn't really do anything then.

I thought back on the incident again, wherein we had been under siege by criminals, where Miku and I were frantically trying to escape criminals. She was so confident in everything and hadn't been scared at all during it. I kept thinking about that, how she was able to get me to pull myself together and acted as if she could get us both through the situation safely. She did the best she could, and I had wished I could have done more to help out through it. Maybe then, I'd still be able to talk to her. And, even more, we'd both be safe.

In the end, though, that wasn't what happened. Miku disappeared, and things didn't make since to me. None of it did. After Meiko told me that she knew what happened to her, I wanted to know what she was going to tell me. If I could find out that much, I could maybe put this to rest. I didn't care if it was the actual story that Miku didn't want to talk to me anymore, or that she moved away. I just wanted to find out.

Despite thinking what the answer was, I'd never know until I got out to meet up with Meiko again later today. That had its own set of questions all its own, but none of those could be answered, either. Questions like "who is Meiko," and "why did the name 'Miku' make her tick?"

I'd soon enough find out why, but that wasn't until after school was over. I was growing fairly antsy in class, and couldn't really pay attention. I kept writing down more notes trying to put pieces together, as if this was some huge mystery in the first place.

I was coming up with different answers in my notebook about everything that came up. First about Miku, and how after such an intense situation, had no interest in talking to me anymore.

 _Why is it, then_ , I thought to myself, _that she went back to her hometown in Japan, but didn't bother to tell me? Was she hiding something? Was she kidnapped?_

Then I thought about that. I wrote in my notebook "kidnapped?" and circled it. Maybe that was the case. However, if she was kidnapped, why wasn't she included in the news about it? Why didn't the police inform me of that?

I kept scribbling in questions and tried to answer each one, but all that came about was more questions. I should have been paying attention in class, but I couldn't stay focused on the lectures for long. This had my full attention. It was just that important to me.

Until the schoolday was over, I would continue to write in my notebook, even during breaks and well through the lunch hour. Coming up towards the end, my heart starting beating a little faster, knowing that I'd be heading out towards the hospital to meet Meiko, and may,be just maybe, get to the bottom of this.

Since I had lied to David and told him we'd be meeting each other at school, I was on my own to find a ride to the hospital. Luckily for me, that wouldn't be too much of an issue. There was some volunteer kids who worked there, and I found out that the bus line would take me directly to it. Things were maybe working out in my favor.

I would be about another forty minutes before I'd arrive, and Meiko would be waiting for me right at the entrance.

"Well," I said to myself, "time to get to the bottom of this."

I walked off the bus and went towards Meiko. She was sitting on a bench outside the entrance door.

"Honestly," she started, "I'm surprised you actually listened. Was a little afraid I scared you off."

"I guess I don't scare that easily." I said, trying to sound cool.

"Apparently not. You're here, aren't you?" She said, standing herself up.

"So, why did you wanna meet up, again?" I asked her.

"It's not safe to talk about it here. Trust me. We'll get in my car and we can talk about it there."

Not safe? What did she mean by "not safe"? It didn't make sense to me. Meiko seemed like she was being cautious, but I got the feeling she was just being paranoid. It's not like there were people after her, were there? Couldn't be.

Her car was an old grey Chevrolet Volt. One of the 2016 models. There were various scratches in the paint, and a big dent on the passenger side door. The passenger side mirror was cracked, too. The interior was just as bad, with some mild tears in the seating, and what looked like beer cans scattered about.

Getting into the car, it smelled of alcohol and rotted food. Needless to say, it didn't smell good.

"Sorry about the mess," Meiko said, "but it's all I've got right now. It's better than not having a vehicle to get around at all."

"All you've got?" I asked, "do you live out of it?"

"Sometimes. I have a place I stay at, but I'm out most of the time."

Just what had I gotten myself into? I thought on that for a second while getting in the mess of motor vehicle.

"Now, before I start the car," she said, pulling her keys out of her jacket, "I want to know if you want to go ahead with this."

"Go ahead with this?" I asked. "You haven't even told me what it is we're doing."

Meiko looked at me, "If you have a bad feeling and don't trust me, I get that. You can back out now."

"You said that you knew something about Miku. I need to know what happened to her."

"Guess you're that committed," she said, grinning, "This was your last chance. There's no backing out from whatever it is you're about to find out, you got that?"

I nodded, and she started the car.

"Alright, then." she placed her keys in the ignition, "no backing out."

As we left the parking lot, Meiko stayed quiet, keeping her eyes on the road. She wouldn't look away, and would keep herself on the speed limit without breaking it. I stayed quiet, thinking I'd break her concentration if I said even a word.

However, she broke the silence once we got on the freeway. "You don't need to stay quiet, I'm not going to hurt you."

I apologized, "Sorry, you looked pretty serious."  
"Oh, ha," she chuckled, "I know, I'm scary, but trust me, I've got a good reason for it."

"Understandable," I nodded, "I just didn't want to break you away from the road."

She laughed, "Trust me, it's not easy to distract me from the road. I've been doing this for a while."

Once we got off at the freeway exit, I figured out where Meiko was driving me. It was the Palmview mall.

"Meiko," I started freaking out, "why are we going here?"

She pulled up next to the parking lot, the exact one I got knocked out in when Miku and I got caught. I didn't want to come back to it, but Meiko drove me here.

"Don't go running away," she said, grabbing my arm, "I told you no backing out."

I struggled, trying desperately to get her grip off me. Unfortunately, she was strong and there was no way I could pry her off, at least not without a crowbar.

"I need you to hear me out, okay? We can't stick around here, but I need to make sure of something." She let go of me, "Just tell me here, right now, is this where you last remember seeing her?"

I rubbed my arm, and reluctantly responded with, "Yes."

"Okay, good," she said, pulling her phone out and dialed a number in. A voice on the other end picked up, though it was hard to hear them.

"Yeah, it's Meiko," she said, "I've got a guest, we're heading back now. Have the door open for us."

Meiko turned the car around from the mall and drove out back into the main streets. This time, however, she drove a little less cautiously than before, and seemed like she was trying to beat someone in a race.

"Going a little fast aren't we?" I asked, nervous.

"Yeah, well, they want me back as soon as possible. Can't be too careful."

"They? Who is they? Why are you being so secretive!?"

"You'll see, I know I'm not being up front with you, but there's a lot I really can't explain without showing you it."

I put my palms against my face, sighed, and looked at her, "Can you at least tell me why you brought me to Palmview?"

Meiko put on a serious look. The same look she gave me at the water fountain yesterday. I knew she wasn't lying, I was just getting fed up with being led around and not being told anything.

"I brought you there so I could be sure you were who you said you were."

"Who I said I was?" I looked at her, puzzled.

"The friends I have, 'they' wanted me to get you. Had some questions, but I wanted to be sure it was actually you."

She pulled out her phone, still keeping her eyes on the road. She handed it to me, with a picture pulled up on it. It was from security footage that read "09-02-2034, 16:03". It was a still frame of two masked figures, carrying large assault weapons. A girl with teal pigtails was in it, standing next to a person that was lying on the floor. A bizarre feeling overcame me.

That was me. It had felt like I had left my own body. The memory of that day played over again.

"That's you, right?" Meiko pointed her finger at the image of my unconscious self.

"It is," I nodded, "but where did you get this?"

"'They' will tell you. I'd show you the whole video, but I could only get that image before I had to go. You'll get your answers. I promise."

I took her words to heart. Maybe I would get those answers after all.

About twenty minutes had passed before Meiko finally stopped the car. We had taken a turn off of the main roads into a park. There were lots of trees surrounding us when we got out.

"So, this is where your friends are staying?" I asked, looking up at the trees.

"No, it's a little bit of a walk, but we have to cover the car first."

Meiko walked up to the trunk, and pulled out a camouflage tarp. She waved me over to help her.

"We're covering it?" I asked.

"What's it look like? We can't exactly leave it parked here," She handed me one of the ends of the tarp, "if anyone finds it, we're going to be in trouble."

I helped her cover her car. It looked almost if it was never there in the first place. Only bushes.

"That's some pretty good camo," I said, "Where'd you get it?"

"I made it," Meiko announced proudly, "it helps if you don't want people to find it."

Meiko made sure everything was secure, and we walked through the park. I followed behind her, taking note of the scenery along the way. It was calming, especially after the ride I had just taken. It was looking to be an interesting day.

"Just a little bit longer, Mister Darhen," Meiko said, "and then you'll finally get the answers you're looking for."

"Am I going to like what I'm gonna hear?" I asked her, letting out a nervous chuckle.

She looked at me, making a bit of a stern look, "I dunno, that's up to you if you'll like it."

After a couple of minutes, we made our way to a storm drain. A large open view was in sight. Meiko slid down the diagonal ledge and signaled me to follow her. The concrete felt rough as I slid down it, but I followed her. I was finally going to get my answers.

We arrived a large rusted grate with a waterway. Meiko stopped.

"Is this where we're supposed to be?" I asked, sliding my hands across it.

"Yeah," she said, reaching into her jacket, "we just need to get it open."

"Get it open?" I was skeptical, "I don't think they wanted anyone to open this."

Meiko wasn't listening. She pulled out her phone, and dialed again.

"Yeah, we're here. Let us in." Soon after, the grate slid open. 

"Well," she announced, "we're here. Ready to see this through?"  
I walked over to the opening, looked back at her, and assured her, "I'm ready as I'll ever be, I think."

She smiled confidently

"Follow me, then. You'll see it soon enough."

I had to wonder why I trusted a girl like Meiko. She could very clearly be trying to be luring me into danger, but I desperately wanted to know what she knew. She was the only possible lead I had in finding out what happened to Miku. If she knew who she was, she might be able to tell me what exactly had been going on.

The problem was that I wouldn't get any answers if I remained thinking of the "what-ifs" of this situation, and instead tried to get to the bottom of this. I spent most of today in class trying to convince myself of that, still worrying on whether something bad would happen or not. Something told me, though, that I could trust it. It was a gut feeling, and I wanted to be sure it was right.

Meiko wanted to meet back up at the hospital immediately. She rushed into this pretty quickly on a gut feeling herself, now that I thought about it. Was what I said that important to her? It seemed so strange to me. Nothing made sense. In any case, I needed an excuse to go to the hospital after school. David wouldn't buy it with group therapy because it was Monday's only.

When I got around to talking about it with him, I had to make something up.

"So," I started with, anxiously trying to explain it to him, "there was someone I met at group therapy yesterday. She said she wanted to hang out."  
"Oh," he was intrigued, "and did she tell you why she wanted to hang out?"

I paused for a second, and continued, "Yeah, it was about Miku."

Inside my head, I could hear myself screaming, _Griff, why did you tell him what she told you not to tell_ _ **anyone**_ _?_

David laughed, "I kinda figured that's what it was for. Where are you gonna meet?"

"Oh, we're gonna meet after school." I lied. We were actually going to meet at the hospital. but if it meant that Meiko wouldn't find out about what I had already told him, maybe it was for the best. I hated doing it, but I felt like it was necessary.

"Well, okay," he nodded, "just let me know if you go somewhere and what time you'll expect to be home, okay?"

I was about to remind him that I didn't exactly have a way to contact him since last week, but he already figured it out.

"Oh, before I forget," David went to the kitchen, "Griff, this came in the mail."

David handed me a package; inside of it was a new cell phone. Same model as my old one. A touchscreen phone that did what it needed to do, and then some. It came in handy, and maybe would have been helpful if it didn't get its signal blocked during raids when criminals were attacking, but the past was in the past; couldn't really do anything then.

I thought back on the incident again, wherein we had been under siege by criminals, where Miku and I were frantically trying to escape criminals. She was so confident in everything and hadn't been scared at all during it. I kept thinking about that, how she was able to get me to pull myself together and acted as if she could get us both through the situation safely. She did the best she could, and I had wished I could have done more to help out through it. Maybe then, I'd still be able to talk to her. And, even more, we'd both be safe.

In the end, though, that wasn't what happened. Miku disappeared, and things didn't make since to me. None of it did. After Meiko told me that she knew what happened to her, I wanted to know what she was going to tell me. If I could find out that much, I could maybe put this to rest. I didn't care if it was the actual story that Miku didn't want to talk to me anymore, or that she moved away. I just wanted to find out.

Despite thinking what the answer was, I'd never know until I got out to meet up with Meiko again later today. That had its own set of questions all its own, but none of those could be answered, either. Questions like "who is Meiko," and "why did the name 'Miku' make her tick?"

I'd soon enough find out why, but that wasn't until after school was over. I was growing fairly antsy in class, and couldn't really pay attention. I kept writing down more notes trying to put pieces together, as if this was some huge mystery in the first place.

I was coming up with different answers in my notebook about everything that came up. First about Miku, and how after such an intense situation, had no interest in talking to me anymore.

 _Why is it, then_ , I thought to myself, _that she went back to her hometown in Japan, but didn't bother to tell me? Was she hiding something? Was she kidnapped?_

Then I thought about that. I wrote in my notebook "kidnapped?" and circled it. Maybe that was the case. However, if she was kidnapped, why wasn't she included in the news about it? Why didn't the police inform me of that?

I kept scribbling in questions and tried to answer each one, but all that came about was more questions. I should have been paying attention in class, but I couldn't stay focused on the lectures for long. This had my full attention. It was just that important to me.

Until the schoolday was over, I would continue to write in my notebook, even during breaks and well through the lunch hour. Coming up towards the end, my heart starting beating a little faster, knowing that I'd be heading out towards the hospital to meet Meiko, and may,be just maybe, get to the bottom of this.

Since I had lied to David and told him we'd be meeting each other at school, I was on my own to find a ride to the hospital. Luckily for me, that wouldn't be too much of an issue. There was some volunteer kids who worked there, and I found out that the bus line would take me directly to it. Things were maybe working out in my favor.

I would be about another forty minutes before I'd arrive, and Meiko would be waiting for me right at the entrance.

"Well," I said to myself, "time to get to the bottom of this."

I walked off the bus and went towards Meiko. She was sitting on a bench outside the entrance door.

"Honestly," she started, "I'm surprised you actually listened. Was a little afraid I scared you off."

"I guess I don't scare that easily." I said, trying to sound cool.

"Apparently not. You're here, aren't you?" She said, standing herself up.

"So, why did you wanna meet up, again?" I asked her.

"It's not safe to talk about it here. Trust me. We'll get in my car and we can talk about it there."

Not safe? What did she mean by "not safe"? It didn't make sense to me. Meiko seemed like she was being cautious, but I got the feeling she was just being paranoid. It's not like there were people after her, were there? Couldn't be.

Her car was an old grey Chevrolet Volt. One of the 2016 models. There were various scratches in the paint, and a big dent on the passenger side door. The passenger side mirror was cracked, too. The interior was just as bad, with some mild tears in the seating, and what looked like beer cans scattered about.

Getting into the car, it smelled of alcohol and rotted food. Needless to say, it didn't smell good.

"Sorry about the mess," Meiko said, "but it's all I've got right now. It's better than not having a vehicle to get around at all."

"All you've got?" I asked, "do you live out of it?"

"Sometimes. I have a place I stay at, but I'm out most of the time."

Just what had I gotten myself into? I thought on that for a second while getting in the mess of motor vehicle.

"Now, before I start the car," she said, pulling her keys out of her jacket, "I want to know if you want to go ahead with this."

"Go ahead with this?" I asked. "You haven't even told me what it is we're doing."

Meiko looked at me, "If you have a bad feeling and don't trust me, I get that. You can back out now."

"You said that you knew something about Miku. I need to know what happened to her."

"Guess you're that committed," she said, grinning, "This was your last chance. There's no backing out from whatever it is you're about to find out, you got that?"

I nodded, and she started the car.

"Alright, then." she placed her keys in the ignition, "no backing out."

As we left the parking lot, Meiko stayed quiet, keeping her eyes on the road. She wouldn't look away, and would keep herself on the speed limit without breaking it. I stayed quiet, thinking I'd break her concentration if I said even a word.

However, she broke the silence once we got on the freeway. "You don't need to stay quiet, I'm not going to hurt you."

I apologized, "Sorry, you looked pretty serious."  
"Oh, ha," she chuckled, "I know, I'm scary, but trust me, I've got a good reason for it."

"Understandable," I nodded, "I just didn't want to break you away from the road."

She laughed, "Trust me, it's not easy to distract me from the road. I've been doing this for a while."

Once we got off at the freeway exit, I figured out where Meiko was driving me. It was the Palmview mall.

"Meiko," I started freaking out, "why are we going here?"

She pulled up next to the parking lot, the exact one I got knocked out in when Miku and I got caught. I didn't want to come back to it, but Meiko drove me here.

"Don't go running away," she said, grabbing my arm, "I told you no backing out."

I struggled, trying desperately to get her grip off me. Unfortunately, she was strong and there was no way I could pry her off, at least not without a crowbar.

"I need you to hear me out, okay? We can't stick around here, but I need to make sure of something." She let go of me, "Just tell me here, right now, is this where you last remember seeing her?"

I rubbed my arm, and reluctantly responded with, "Yes."

"Okay, good," she said, pulling her phone out and dialed a number in. A voice on the other end picked up, though it was hard to hear them.

"Yeah, it's Meiko," she said, "I've got a guest, we're heading back now. Have the door open for us."

Meiko turned the car around from the mall and drove out back into the main streets. This time, however, she drove a little less cautiously than before, and seemed like she was trying to beat someone in a race.

"Going a little fast aren't we?" I asked, nervous.

"Yeah, well, they want me back as soon as possible. Can't be too careful."

"They? Who is they? Why are you being so secretive!?"

"You'll see, I know I'm not being up front with you, but there's a lot I really can't explain without showing you it."

I put my palms against my face, sighed, and looked at her, "Can you at least tell me why you brought me to Palmview?"

Meiko put on a serious look. The same look she gave me at the water fountain yesterday. I knew she wasn't lying, I was just getting fed up with being led around and not being told anything.

"I brought you there so I could be sure you were who you said you were."

"Who I said I was?" I looked at her, puzzled.

"The friends I have, 'they' wanted me to get you. Had some questions, but I wanted to be sure it was actually you."

She pulled out her phone, still keeping her eyes on the road. She handed it to me, with a picture pulled up on it. It was from security footage that read "09-02-2034, 16:03". It was a still frame of two masked figures, carrying large assault weapons. A girl with teal pigtails was in it, standing next to a person that was lying on the floor. A bizarre feeling overcame me.

That was me. It had felt like I had left my own body. The memory of that day played over again.

"That's you, right?" Meiko pointed her finger at the image of my unconscious self.

"It is," I nodded, "but where did you get this?"

"'They' will tell you. I'd show you the whole video, but I could only get that image before I had to go. You'll get your answers. I promise."

I took her words to heart. Maybe I would get those answers after all.

About twenty minutes had passed before Meiko finally stopped the car. We had taken a turn off of the main roads into a park. There were lots of trees surrounding us when we got out.

"So, this is where your friends are staying?" I asked, looking up at the trees.

"No, it's a little bit of a walk, but we have to cover the car first."

Meiko walked up to the trunk, and pulled out a camouflage tarp. She waved me over to help her.

"We're covering it?" I asked.

"What's it look like? We can't exactly leave it parked here," She handed me one of the ends of the tarp, "if anyone finds it, we're going to be in trouble."

I helped her cover her car. It looked almost if it was never there in the first place. Only bushes.

"That's some pretty good camo," I said, "Where'd you get it?"

"I made it," Meiko announced proudly, "it helps if you don't want people to find it."

Meiko made sure everything was secure, and we walked through the park. I followed behind her, taking note of the scenery along the way. It was calming, especially after the ride I had just taken. It was looking to be an interesting day.

"Just a little bit longer, Mister Darhen," Meiko said, "and then you'll finally get the answers you're looking for."

"Am I going to like what I'm gonna hear?" I asked her, letting out a nervous chuckle.

She looked at me, making a bit of a stern look, "I dunno, that's up to you if you'll like it."

After a couple of minutes, we made our way to a storm drain. A large open view was in sight. Meiko slid down the diagonal ledge and signaled me to follow her. The concrete felt rough as I slid down it, but I followed her. I was finally going to get my answers.

We arrived a large rusted grate with a waterway. Meiko stopped.

"Is this where we're supposed to be?" I asked, sliding my hands across it.

"Yeah," she said, reaching into her jacket, "we just need to get it open."

"Get it open?" I was skeptical, "I don't think they wanted anyone to open this."

Meiko wasn't listening. She pulled out her phone, and dialed again.

"Yeah, we're here. Let us in." Soon after, the grate slid open. 

"Well," she announced, "we're here. Ready to see this through?"  
I walked over to the opening, looked back at her, and assured her, "I'm ready as I'll ever be, I think."

She smiled confidently

"Follow me, then. You'll see it soon enough."


End file.
